Research Associate (Family Medicine)

Job Description

The National University of Singapore invites applications for a Research Associate in the Division of Family Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. The Division envisions developing a reputation in the Asia Pacific region as a Centre of excellence in Family Medicine and Primary Care service delivery, education and training and research. Appointments will be made on a 1-year contract basis in the first instance, with the possibility of extension contingent upon good performance and funds availability.

Purpose of the post

The successful candidate will play a central role in Health Experiences Singapore (HEXI-SG), a qualitative research programme that uses narrative interviews to explore patient experiences of health and illness in Singapore. HEXI-SG is in its first year of active operation, and the post-holder will contribute to all stages of the HEXI-SG research process, from recruitment and data collection through to analysis and dissemination, and will help establish HEXI-SG protocols and standard operating procedures. HEXI-SG's methodology includes video-recorded narrative interviews and the creation of a public-facing website (www.healthexperiences.sg) featuring thematic summaries for each research topic illustrated by video, audio, and textual clips.

The role also involves supporting the Division’s Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) activities and contributing to supporting research and administration for a proposed Lancet Primary Care Commission.

The position requires strong qualitative research skills, attention to detail, ability to engage with patients and members of the public members as research partners and research participants, and effective collaboration with local and international partners.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Contribution to the management of research activities including grant and IRB/DSRB applications, budgeting, planning and monitoring project timelines and generally support project management and coordination and liaising with internal and external stakeholders
• Conduct literature reviews, including collation and synthesis of the literature
• Support the design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of qualitative interviews
• Assist in recruiting advisory board/panel members and training patient research partners for the department’s various projects
• Coordinate and facilitate meetings with advisory board members, and assist with the preparation of materials and documentation of proceedings
• Contribute to and lead (where appropriate) protocol, manuscript and report timely writing, editing and submission.
• Present work for feedback and dissemination at workshops or conferences locally and/or internationally
• Undertake additional duties as required by the PI or Departmental leadership to support ongoing research and departmental priorities
• Maintain accurate, complete, and up-to-date documentation in the Department's research repository to ensure continuity and compliance

Qualifications

The applicant should possess:

• Master's degree in a relevant field (e.g., public health, social sciences, psychology, sociology, nursing, health sciences, or a related discipline). Candidates from other backgrounds with strong qualitative research experience are also welcome to apply
• Demonstrated experience in qualitative research, including data collection (interviewing) and analysis (essential)
• Proficiency in conducting research interviews in English (essential). Ability to conduct interviews in additional languages spoken in Singapore (e.g., Mandarin, Malay, Tamil) is a strong asset as the person holding this position will be conducting qualitative interviews with participants in Singapore and our intention is to offer study participants the option to conduct their interview in any of Singapore's four official languages (English, Mandarin, Tamil, Malay). If the candidate can cover off any of the non-English languages, that would strengthen our team's ability to conduct non-English interviews.
• Ability to work with culturally diverse populations (essential)
• Familiarity with reflexive thematic analysis and/or narrative research approaches (highly desirable)
• Proficiency in qualitative data management software, particularly NVivo, or willingness to develop proficiency (essential)
• Experience in conducting literature reviews, including systematic or scoping reviews, and synthesising evidence from diverse sources (desirable)
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent tasks in a dynamic, early-stage research environment (essential)
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work effectively within an interdisciplinary team and with international collaborators (essential)
• Prior experience with ethics applications and research administration in an academic or healthcare setting (desirable)
• Prior experience with financial management of research grants, such as budget projections and claims submissions (desirable)
• Track record of publishing in international peer-reviewed journals (desirable)

Remuneration will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications and experience. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter outlining their suitability for this role and a detailed CV (including personal particulars, academic and employment history, complete list of publications/oral presentations and full contacts of three (3) referees).